Williams denies Senna seat under threat

Williams has quashed speculation that Bruno Senna's place at the team is under threat if the Brazilian does not lift his game over the next few races.

While Senna's team-mate Pastor Maldonado delivered a brilliant victory from pole position in Spain, Senna endured a tougher weekend - spinning out of Q1 and then crashing out of the race after a collision with Michael Schumacher.

That performance prompted rumours that Williams could make a push for test driver Valtteri Bottas to make the step up, with his speed in Friday practice sessions this year having impressed his bosses.

However, Williams board member Toto Wolff says that the outfit remains totally committed to Senna – and that there is no desire to fast track Bottas in to a race seat before he is ready.

"We are not replacing anybody," Wolff told AUTOSPORT. "We have contracts with two drivers, and we are supporting our drivers as much as we can and as well as we can.

"The decision to take on Bruno and Pastor was a very carefully taken one and we will push on - not do some knee-jerk exercise.

"With Valtteri, we are going through a development school and the decision to run him on Fridays was very carefully decided. We are not going to burn him up either by putting him in a situation that we think is not appropriate. So the rumours are rubbish."

Manchester City were the last English champions to be relegated the very next season, going down in 1938 despite finishing the season as top scorers. The Foxes, just a few months after sensationally lifting the Premier League trophy, are now just two points above the relegation zone. It couldn’t really happen, could it? Perhaps the ghost of relegated champions past will make Leicester change their ways. Maybe they’ll give Bob Cratchit Christmas Day off after all. More »